Your furnace control board, heat pump, refrigerator, washer, and TV all run on sensitive electronics, and a single voltage spike can damage several of them at once. A whole house surge protector, installed at your electrical panel, guards every circuit in your home. Cougar Heating, Cooling, Plumbing & Electrical has licensed electricians who install surge protection for homes across Spokane, Spokane Valley, and North Idaho.
What Causes Power Surges?
- Storm damage and outages. Windstorms and ice bring down lines, and the moment power is restored can send a spike through your home.
- Utility grid switching, which happens routinely and usually goes unnoticed.
- Lightning, less frequent here than in other regions, but summer thunderstorms do roll through the Inland Northwest.
- Equipment inside your home. Air conditioners, heat pumps, well pumps, and refrigerators create small surges every time their motors cycle. These repeated spikes wear down electronics over time.
- Generator transfers when switching between utility and backup power.
Storm season is when most homeowners think about surge protection, often right after something gets damaged. The time to protect electronics from power surge damage is before the first windstorm of the season.
How Whole-Home Surge Protection Works
A surge protective device mounts at your main electrical panel. When voltage spikes, it diverts the excess energy to your home’s grounding system before it reaches your circuits.
Whole-home protection works best as a layer. The panel device stops large surges coming in from outside, while quality point-of-use surge strips add a second layer for computers and home theater equipment. Current electrical code also requires surge protection when a home’s electrical service is installed or replaced, so it’s standard on every panel upgrade we complete.
Surge Protector Installation
- Panel and grounding inspection. A surge protector only works if your grounding system is sound, so we check it first.
- Device selection based on your panel, service size, and equipment.
- Installation, usually completed in a single visit with a brief power shutoff.
- Testing and walkthrough, including how to read the device’s status indicator.
If you’re adding a backup generator, it makes sense to install surge protection at the same time. See our generator installation and repair services.
Why Choose Cougar for Surge Protection
- Licensed electricians who check your panel and grounding, not just the device
- HVAC know-how in-house, so we understand the electronics in your furnace and heat pump
- Upfront pricing before any work begins, backed by our 100% Service Fee Guarantee
- 24/7 live answering and locally operated service
Protect what’s plugged in. Call (509) 253-5430 or schedule service online.
